SENATORS GILLIBRAND AND COLLINS TO CHALLENGE TRUMP’S TRANS MILITARY BAN: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are preparing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that will challenge the White House’s unconscionable directive that interferes in Department of Defense personnel policy by pushing forward the Trump-Pence transgender military ban. The administration’s directive bans qualified transgender people from enlisting or commissioning into the military, and prohibits some medically-necessary transition-related health care. The fate of transgender troops currently serving our nation remains unresolved. More from The Washington Post.

SEC OF STATE TILLERSON REPORTEDLY ‘EXPRESSED CONCERN’ TO RUSSIA OVER LGBTQ HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN CHECHNYA: Michael K. Lavers (@MKLavers81) of The Washington Blade reports that Tillerson wrote to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and “conveyed U.S. concerns about the credible reports of widespread detentions, torture and other abuses against gay men in Chechnya.” While it is important that Tillerson appears to have finally addressed the reports months after they first surfaced, the Trump Administration needs to take real action to help stop the atrocities -- through leadership at the United Nations and welcoming people fleeing the violence. More from Washington Blade.

This only after months of pressure from @HRC & others. And yet Trump, Tillerson still publicly silent on Chechnya. https://t.co/NHmdOEL0JZ

AUSTRALIAN HIGH COURT RULES -- MARRIAGE EQUALITY SURVEY WILL PROCEED: The court unanimously ruled that the government can go ahead with conducting a public mail-in survey on marriage equality. LGBTQ advocates had argued that the government “does not have the power to bypass Parliament to pay for a 122 million Australian dollar ($97 million) public survey,” and believed that Parliament should vote on marriage equality without the survey. Following the decision, Australian advocates launched a “Yes” campaign that will include millions of “respectful conversations” on the subject of marriage equality. The survey will be sent out September 12, and results are to be announced November 15. The results will be non-binding and will require legislative action before marriage equality can be achieved. More from The Guardian.

THANKFUL THURSDAY: HRC released new videos as part of its #LoveYourNeighbor campaign, a groundbreaking storytelling project focused on sharing the experiences of LGBTQ people and allies across the South, particularly in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. The project was funded by a grant from Toyota, which has a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, just outside Tupelo.

HRC JOINS 27 LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS NATION OPPOSING TRUMP FED COURT NOMINEE STEPHEN SCHWARTZ: Schwartz, nominated for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, has a history of supporting anti-LGBTQ -- and especially anti-transgender -- causes, including HB2, the discriminatory North Carolina law that attacked the rights of transgender people. He also worked for Cause of Action, a conservative organization funded by the Koch brothers, who have a history of funneling money to anti-LGBTQ extremist groups. Read the full letter here.

HRC REACTS TO TRUMP’S CATASTROPHIC DECISION TO END DACA: Gerardo Sánchez of Asi Es Mi Gente TV spoke with Milagros Chirinos, HRC Bilingual Media Manager-Spanish about Trump’s cruel decision to end DACA. “We are heartbroken,” said Chirinos. “This action shatters the dreams of 800,000 Dreamers, including 75,000 LGBTQ young immigrants, but also the dreams of families, relatives and friends. All they want is to be able study, go to school and work like any other person.” More from Asi Es Mi Gente TV.

Read Chris Johnson’s (@ChrisJohnson82) piece about Tony Choi, an LGBTQ Dreamer who “doesn’t know his fate -- but realizes one possibility is he’ll be deported to South Korea,” in The Washington Blade.

MEET EMMA, 6-YEAR-OLD TRANS ADVOCATE IN NORTH CAROLINA: When Emma entered kindergarten, she was thrust into the middle of the fight against HB2, the anti-transgender state law that has since been replaced with the similarly discriminatory HB142. The law prevented Emma, a transgender girl, from using facilities aligned with her gender identity. Now, her parents are fighting back, and have transferred Emma to a school that respects her gender identity. More from HuffPo.

NEW NBC/WSJ POLL -- 60 PERCENT OF AMERICANS SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY: It’s the highest approval recorded in the history of the poll. Read the full data from NBC.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD WINS LASKER MEDICAL AWARD: Deemed “America’s Nobels,” the prize went to Planned Parenthood “for providing essential health services and reproductive care to millions of women for more than a century.” More from The Washington Post.

CHARLOTTE -- EARLY VOTING FOR MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS ENDS SATURDAY: HRC has endorsed Mayor Jennifer Roberts in the mayoral race. She has stood side by side with the LGBTQ community -- from supporting Charlotte’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance to fighting to defeat two discriminatory legislative attacks from Raleigh - HB2 and HB 142. More from HRC.

LGBTQ FAMILY CALLS OUT FRESNO SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT ON HIS BIGOTRY: At a recent school board meeting, Alana Franklin, a queer parent, called out Brooke Ashjian on his bigoted comments, and announced that she and her family will not leave the district out of fear. Franklin is just one of many LGBTQ families, allies and organizations -- including HRC -- calling for Ashjian to step down in the wake of his anti-LGBTQ remarks regarding California’s LGBTQ-inclusive sex education laws. More from Fresno Bee.

HORRIFYING -- 12 INDONESIAN WOMEN EVICTED FOR COHABITATION, LOOKING ‘UNFEMININE’: Last month, an Indonesian government official said the government is expected to reject the U.N.’s recommendations to curtail such anti-LGBTQ human rights violations. More from The Guardian.